Zucchini lasagna

I never thought I would substitute a veggie for pasta. But this dish alone, may have changed my view. I've never been one for substitutions. I want the original, an I want authentic. But this, it has opened new doors. I can have authentic, and then I can spin it on its head. 

This is not the exact recipe, as I made my own version of the sauce, but it was what I based my recipe off of. Once I perfect my recipe, I'll post it. 

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/zucchini-lasagna.html

I hate ketchup

The ubiquitous viscous liquid that sits in most people's refrigerators and on the tables of many a restaurant is both a marvel and a travesty. It surely is amazing at how common this stuff has become, a favorite topping on burgers, dogs, meatloaf, and steak alike. A vingearous dressing, made of sugar (HFCs), and tomatoes. 

I've never been a fan of the stuff. The only use I have for it is to cover up bad tasting or poorly cooked fries. And what set me over the edge, we were having a small dinner party and I cooked steak. I put in a lot of time and effort into the marinade and making sure it was cooked just right (medium-rare), when someone asked for ketchup without even trying a bite. That was an insult. I don't understand the love people have for ketchup and never will. 

It's a sweet vinegary taste that has no tomato flavor whatsoever. It dominates the palate even in minuscule quantities. 

My house will not have ketchup and I will not buy any for our next cookout or dinner party. You're on your own. 

Home Brew

I have done some brewing in the past and have finally decided to invest in a home brewing kit. I first did some brewing up at Incredibrew, in New Hampshire. You go there once, to brew with their ingredients and then a couple weeks later, to bottle your beer. That was an awesome experience. Just a bunch of people all brewing different types, and we all shared the results on bottling day.

My kit arrived this weekend and I plan on brewing right away. My first beer is going to be an Irish red ale. If all goes according to plan, I plan on brewing a heffenweizen and an IPA by summers end.

Beer has long been a passion of mine. And no..., not just crushing 30 racks every weekend. I enjoy big boy beers. It is something to be enjoyed, something to be savored...

I am in the works of starting a second blog devoted exclusively to beer. Wether it be reviews, recipes or an article. Anything and everything beer.

Classic Pizza I - Marlborough, MA

It was moving weekend for my girlfriend. Melissa was moving to her first apartment in Marlborough Ma. We enjoy cooking and going out for dinners but not this weekend. We needed food and we wanted some good 'ol greasy fast food. On Saturday we were at the Starbucks just down the street from her new place having an afternoon pick me up trying to decide on a dinner. We decided pizza. We asked a few of the employees for a recommendation as we were new to the area. One suggested Domino's (gross) and the other two said they didn't eat pizza much so they didn't have much advice.
We did some old fashioned googling and decided on Classic Pizza in Marlborough, MA. It was a Saturday night and we actually didn't end up ordering pizza at all. I called to place our order and was very impressed with how nice the lady was on the phone. She didn't rush me, she took her time and was just very pleasant to deal with. Melissa ordered a chicken plate which came with a ton of chicken, fries, salad and a roll. I ordered a genoa salami grinder with all the veggies on it.
We got their a few minutes before they told us it would be ready and our order was just being bagged up. The older gentlemen there, were very nice they made eye contact and thanked you sincerely when you left. The whole place seemed to be running with efficiency. They had, what looked like three delivery drivers and quite a few cooks working over the grills and fryers. They got our order out quickly and the prices were very reasonable for the quality they put out.
We were so impressed with the service and quality we went back the next night and tried their pizza. They did it again. Golden brown with just enough sauce, not sloppy or greasy.
This has to be one of our favorite Pizza places now. Besides how good the service is, how good the food is, and how greet their prices are, they are less than a block from Melissa's apartment. Score for Classic Pizza I in Marlborough, MA.

The Tandoori Grill - Marlborough, MA

Hello,
I have been so overwhelmed with work and getting on with life that I have not posted in a very long time! I promise to try to stay on top of this more. If not a promise to you, one to me. Here is our most recent experience at an Indian place.

Melissa and myself decided to go out to dinner randomly one night. We decided to meet up at a local Panera Bread as we both needed to use the internet, she had just moved to a new apartment and everything was not yet set up. So, we were on our way in and saw an Indian place in the same plaza. With a few minutes of debate and a brief look at a sushi menu, we decided to try the Indian- The Tandoori Grill.
The atmosphere was pleasant enough and we were seated right away (Not much happening in Marlborough on a Monday evening). The offerings on the menu were as we've seen before. We are still new to Indian and have only been to a few places, but we do enjoy it very much and have even tried making it on our own (we need practice). The pricing was pretty straightforward except there was a small note on the bottom of the menu that said 18% gratuity. It did not say if it was included in the cost or added to large parties.. I still have no answer for this. Slightly disconcerting when trying to figure out the check which had a blank line for tip.
We ordered our respective meals of Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Saag with an order of garlic Naan (always a must!) We sat for quite a while with only a couple of waters until our meals came. The waiter was slow taking our order and getting us our drinks. We noticed, while we were chatting about our days and growing more and more hungry, the other tables receiving what appeared to be "chips" (I forget their name but they are thin, crispy, and I believe made of soy.) We were slightly bummed as we thought we weren't getting the best treatment already. Finally the meals arrived and frankly, they were disappointing.
The Tikka Masala was very watery. It had very little spice and all it really tasted like was the fresh cilantro they put on as garnish. The chicken was over cooked and dry, almost too arduous to eat. The Chicken Saag was alright at best. The sauce was so thick we had to mix it with the Tikka Masala to make the meals palatable. The two sauces were in such contrast in viscosity we both were taken aback by it. And then, when we thought we could just make it through the meal, it came. A long black hair appearing out of the center of the Saag. At this point we had finished most of the meal and just stopped eating.
We got the check and left.
In fairness I would like to say there were a few nice things about The Tandoori Grill; the decor was appealing, the light music relaxing and soothing, and the garlic naan was good.
However these can't make up for the disappointment of the whole meal. Both Melissa and I agree that this was a very unpleasant experience.
In summation- Don't bother, we won't be back.

Thanksgiving in PA.

The next few posts are coming later than expected after my computer shut down, and has failed to startup again. So I am sneakily typing this up on my office computer (which I probably shouldn’t say, due to the fact I don’t know who reads this thing.)

Melissa and I decided to spend this Thanksgiving with my Aunt and Uncle who live about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, a little white suburbia called Lansdale. The drive down took about 5:45, which isn’t bad considering we spent an hour stuck in New York, and that our GPS took us off the main roads once we got halfway through New Jersey. Thanksgiving went great; there was plenty of delicious food that we had prepared over the course of 2 days (they had been preparing for a day before we arrived.)
A couple of noteworthy experiences; chocolate stout cheesecake, beer take out (from a bar), Peddler’s Village, and sushi.

Caldeira’s – Fall River, MA

My family and I went to Caldeira’s Restaurant for a nice post-graduation dinner. Caldeira’s is a Portuguese restaurant that is located in Fall River, one of the most Portuguese populated cities in the country. The menu was small, and condensed to fulfill only one piece of paper, front and back. The menu, short and concise, provided a nice variation of Portuguese foods.
For appetizers we ordered a tomato, mozzarella and mixed greens salad. This dish was very light and had a very Mediterranean feel to it. It was dressed with a pesto sauce as well as a balsamic vinaigrette reduction that was moderately sweet. Again we had only one concern with this appetizer, four slices of tomato and only three slices of mozzarella (dividing by 4 is a bit awkward). We also got Chourico Bombeiro. Chourico is a Spicy Portuguese sausage. It is close cousins with chorizo which is a similar product except that it is Spanish and uses a few different seasonings. The chourico link was served over flaming liquor. The presentation was rather fascinating and gave a nice crunch to the link. This process slightly over cooked the underside of the link (perhaps we should have taken it off sooner, but pictures were in order sooo…I won’t pass judgment on it).
For my main course I selected the shrimp mocambique (Mozambique). This preparation was very spicy and I choose to get it over penne pasta because I was in a pasta kind of mood. It turned out to be a good choice because the pasta held the sauce very nice. It was salty and fresh, but the heat dominated the dish, and could have benefitted by gearing down on the heat. The shrimp was cooked absolutely perfectly and were slightly butterflied on top to create a very pretty presentation.
We ordered a few after dinner drinks and deserts. My girlfriend and I each got a cappuccino and my father got an espresso with a shot of Sambucca (anise-flavored liquor), Sambucca is slightly sweet so there is no need to add sugar to your espresso or cappuccino if you are adding the liquor. My step mother got a Beira which is sweet passion fruit liquor-The nose of this liquor was very strong and stung a bit but the tase was extremely smooth and slightly syrupy.
For dessert my girlfriend and I ordered Chocolate Decadence, which was simply…decadent. It was a warm chocolate mousse/flan that was served with a scoop of vanilla ice crème and whipped crème. There was a slightly hardened shell of chocolate that you were able to break through to the smooth creamy interior mousse. This desert was extremely rich.
My father and stepmother ordered the crème brule which I should have tasted before devouring the Chocolate Decadence. The caramelized sugar on the top provided an amazing crunch and depth in flavor and texture to the desert. The creamy interior of the desert was light and smooth not quite as rich as our dessert.
This restaurant was a great choice for the family. The service was very friendly and the atmosphere was warm and inviting, with just a touch of sophistication. I will definitely be going back to the restaurant for dinner again. Good choice.